Workplace Stress: Over 4 In Every 5 SME Employees Have Been Affected By ‘Excessive’ Workload

Conducted by the Dolan Contractor Group, experts in contractor payroll and accountancy, the study gathered responses from employees of 140 companies across the UK. Respondents were asked about the causes of what was deemed ‘excessive workplace stress’, how they combat stress to maintain good mental health and what their employers do to support them through stress.

The study found clear differences between SMEs and large companies when employees attributed sources of stress. Just under half of employees in SMEs (47%) stated that low pay, the inability to build savings and no chance of progression were stress points.

In contrast, the majority of employees from large companies stated that long working hours (40%) caused them the most stress, followed by overwork and management pressure (36%).

Both SMEs and larger companies need to be aware of these stress factors for their employees. The risk being that talent is lost to another company, or worse still, the employees health is put at risk through stress burnout.

When respondents were asked how they’d tackle stress, 30% of those at large companies stated that they would speak to their manager. The amount who would seek help from their manager reduced to 12% of workers at SMEs. It’s possible that small businesses need to work harder to provide anonymity or an environment that workers feel comfortable to confide in senior staff members. Of course, seeking help at work is one thing, but stress doesn't leave once a person leaves the workplace, so it's possible that they may also need to find solutions to combat stress at home too. Some might go for a walk, some might take a moment with some CBD plus THC gummies, some might write, journal, or make art, it's all about each individual finding out what works best for them.

When asked how they would deal with stress, 6% of permanent employee respondents stated that they would not seek help if they were suffering from excessive stress, opting to ‘hope it gets better’. Worryingly, this figure rose to 17% of contractors and freelancers surveyed without an immediate HR support system.

The study also identified differences in how stress is experienced between genders, how stress is managed by each employee, and also reveals crucial differences between the support available to permanent employees and that offered to employees hired on a contractor or freelance basis.

Further findings from the study:

• Overall, the greatest cause of this stress in the UK workplace was found to be long working hours, with 41% of respondents to a study stating that they have been affected. Next most common is deadline or client pressure with 32%, followed by low pay and inability to build financial savings with 29%.

• Female contractor workers are less likely to suffer from excessive stress due to long working hours when compared to female permanent workers. With it being predominantly women who take time off work as the main carers for children within a family, flexible working hours are made possible by freelancing and contracting.

• Contractors and freelancers were found to rely more heavily on their friends and families for support, with 26% stating this was their method to combat excessive stress. Furthermore, 30% of contractor and freelancer workers have taken leave from work to combat excessive stress.

Richard Holmes, Director of Wellbeing at Westfield Health, states: “Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Pressure at work is usually the main culprit and when budgets are tight and teams are small, people often find themselves with multiple roles and heavy workloads, piling on the stress.

“Policies like flexible or remote working can help employees balance work and home life, and things like turning off email servers outside of working hours helps ring fence valuable recovery time. Mental health first aid training can also help managers spot the signs or triggers and put preventions in place.

“Contractors or freelancers who don’t have the support of HR might need to adopt their own strategies such as setting working hours, turning off email alerts out of these hours and separating work and living space if working from home.”

Likewise, Lauren Monks, Group Operations Director at Dolan Contractor Group, added: “The Stress in the workplace study deepens our understanding of our contractors, freelancers and the self employed. It outlines the key areas that cause stress and so gives us and employers insight to help reduce stress in the workplace.  

Stress is prevalent in all areas of work and across all industries regardless of the way you work- as a traditional employee or via your own limited company or umbrella employment, though contractors and freelancers are rarely mentioned in the conversation for stress in the workplace and mental wellbeing.

With the potential IR35 reforms looming, this adds a degree of uncertainty which we understand is unsettling and stressful for our clients. With 27% of contractors and freelancers stating that tax, red tape, and government changes contribute to excessive stress at work, we make sure that we offer IR35 contract reviews so our clients have the advice they need, plus we can offer them both umbrella employment as well as limited company accountancy. This takes the added stress of finding a new umbrella employer should the IR35 reforms affect them.”